Stefano Pioli assures there is no tension around the Milan sale investigation and ‘no risk of underestimating’ Slavia Praha in the Europa League Round of 16.
It kicks off in Prague on Thursday at 17.45 GMT and follows on from the first leg, which the Rossoneri won 4-2 against a side that was down to 10 men for over an hour.
El Hadji Malick Diouf was sent off in that match and is therefore suspended tomorrow, while the visitors have Alessandro Florenzi banned.
“We are ready, but at the same time I think it will be a different type of opponent,” warns Pioli in his press conference and to Sky Sport Italia.
“There is no risk of underestimating this test. We have a slight advantage thanks to a performance of determination and quality. Slavia Praha are accustomed to attacking with intensity, but this also means we should find more spaces open up for us too. We know that we must attack well, defend well and take advantage of the situations that develop.
“We believe that playing better than your opponents gives you more of a chance of winning.”
There was already a concern in the Europa League play-off when Milan risked fumbling a comfortable first leg lead against Rennes.
“It’s true there are some similarities, but we know what to expect this time and are fully focused on Slavia. I chose the line-up this morning during training, we know what we want to do. When you have strong players available, it is also easier to have a Plan B in case the initial approach doesn’t work.”
Inevitably, some questions were about the on-going investigation into the sale of Milan from Elliott Management to RedBird in the summer of 2022.
“We felt a sense of calm around us and are concentrated on tomorrow’s match. We have faith in the club and are not concerned.”
There was good news for the Rossoneri today with news that Milan eliminated Real Madrid from the UEFA Youth League quarter-finals on penalties, having drawn 1-1.
It qualifies them for the Final Four stage of the competition, the youth equivalent of the Champions League, for the second year in a row.
“I congratulate Ignazio Abate and the lads, this shows how well the youth academy is working.”